Somaliland defense minister quits over port deal with Ethiopia

The defense minister of the self-declared republic of Somaliland has resigned in protest against a deal granting Ethiopia access to a seaport in the breakaway region of Somalia, the BBC has reported.

It cited Abdiqani Mohamoud Ateye criticized Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi “for not consulting the council of ministers on the port deal with Ethiopia”, saying they “heard about it from the media”.

Mr Ateye hails from Somaliland’s Awdal region, where Ethiopia reportedly wanted to set up its military base in the coastal town of Lughaya.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) reportedly accords landlocked Ethiopia, access to the Red Sea in exchange for it recognizing Somaliland as an independent state.

Somalia has termed the deal an act of “aggression” and recalled its ambassador to Addis Ababa.

There are reports that Ethiopia’s ambassador to Somalia has also returned to Addis Ababa amid a diplomatic row between the two countries.